Elevating mechanism



A. J. SUCHOCKI 3,318,19G

ELEVATING MECHANI SM Filed June 16, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet l WWW/WW J MWOWW BY W 772 JI NVENTOR WW 0 Z V, r' -wyg May 1196? A. J. SUCHOCKI ELEVATING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 16, 1965 A. J. SUCHOCKI ELEVATING MECHANISM May Q, K97

Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 16, 1965 INVENTOR P Q. Jaw/Q1 iii 3 United States Patent G ce 3,318,190 ELEVATING MECHANISM Anthony .1. Suchocki, Clawson, Mich, assignor, by mesne assignments, to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army Filed June 16, 1965, Ser. No. 464,588 Claims. (til. 89-41) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor,

The present invention relates to an improved elevating system and more particularly to a gun elevating system providing a comparatively simple and durable construction and which further accomplishes a reduction in the space required for the system.

Prior art gun elevating systems, such as those using the trunnion or ball-joint type pivot, are arranged so that the mounting pivotal axis and the gun centerline intersect. Using this fixed pivotal arrangement has created design space problems at maximum elevation and depression positions in the guns travel in a vertical plane. This space problem is especially acute in guns mounted in close confines.

To overcome the difiiculties encountered with prior art elevating systems, the present invention contemplates the use of a parallelogram mechanism that provides a method of translation and angular motion by moving one leg of the parallelogram through the centerline about which the opposite parallel leg rolls or moves about at a fixed radius, wherein the fixed radius becomes the pitch radius of the elevation sector.

It is, therefore, a principal object of the invention to provide an elevating system arranged to decrease the space required in the use of the elevating system.

Another object of the invention is to provide a gun elevating system wherein the angular sweep is reduced at the maximum elevation.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a gun elevating system wherein a minimum of movable connections provide a constant rate of angular displacement per unit input through full elevation and depression while also producing a constant mechanical advantage.

A still further object is to reduce the silhouette of the ssytern.

7 Other objects and advantages will be come apparent as the following description proceeds, taken together with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 illustrates one form and arrangement of the invention in use on a tank cupola.

FIGURE 2 is a side view of FIGURE 1 illustrating the primary members of the elevating system.

FIGURE 3 is a view of FIGURE 1 having the top removed from the cupola, and with parts of the operat ing mechanism in section, illustrating details of the drive mechanism.

FIGURE 4 further illustrates details of the drive mechanism.

FIGURE 5 is a view taken in perspective illustrating a modification of the device in its basic form.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, two illustrative embodiments have been shown in the drawings and will be described below in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific forms disclosed, but that the invention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims,

3,3181% Patented May 9, 1967 Referring more specifically to FIGURE 1, the invention is shown in conjunction with a partially shown tank turret 10 having a commanders hatch and sighting device 12, a loaders station and hatch 14 and a cupola generally indicated at 16. The cupola in this instance is designed to be a self-contained unit capable of extreme elevation and complete traversing by remote control. The low silhouette of the cupola provides aimed fire power through an arc extending approximately from -15 depression to +70 elevation.

Cupola assembly 16 consists of a cradle member 18 mounted in opening 20 of turret 10 and is capable of 360 degree rotation. Cradle 18 is made up of a U-shaped member having two upwardly extending standards 21 which straddles pod portion 22 of cupola 16, and a circular base 23, wherein base 23 is mounted in opening 20 by means of shock resistant bearings, and which may also be equipped with a slip ring arrangement for power and signal transmission.

Pod 22, a component of cupola 16, consists of an armored main housing structure in which is mounted one or more guns 24, 31, along with the respective accessories required and necessary in firing the guns. No angular movement takes place between any of the components mounted in the pod housing and therefore, the feed and ejection systems of the guns are greatly simplified. This fixed feed and ejection relationship of the guns provides high reliability since there is unobstructed ejection of the expended cartridge cases and belts or links and further, the explosive gases are discharged directly from the pod to the atmosphere. Because of the pod isolation and gas discharge external to the crew compartment, turret c0n tamination is also greatly reduced. Presently used devices have large angular movements between the ammunition and the machine guns, whereby the possibility of binding during the feeding cycle is great. Rails 25 mounted on the sides of pod 22 have elevation racks 26 (FIGURE 2) machined on the bottom surface, and guide tracks 28 formed on the upper surface, wherein both rack 26 and the guide track 28 extend the full length of the rails 25. In order to insure continued and proper alignment, rails 25 are shock mounted in the direction of fire. Additionally, pod 22 has incorporated therein space for a gun sighting mechanism or television camera devices as an aid in sighting and firing the guns mounted on the pod.

Elevation rack 26 forms part of the mechanism that translates and rotates the pod 22 about the centerline axis of elevation sector gears 30. Sector gears 30 are mounted on each of the extending stnadards 21 and locate the elevation racks 26 with respect to the sector axis about which the pod housing rotates. The design of the gear teeth on the sector and rack are double helical or herringbone in design, thereby preventing axial and tanegntial movement of the pod 22 with respect to the sector shaped standards 21. Other gear tooth designs, such as spur, helicon, or single helical for example, could obviously be employed without departing from the scope of the present invention.

To insure meshing engagement and alignment of the rack and sector gear sections anti-separating bearings are provided for each rail 25, wherein the bearings are in the form of brackets 32 having upper rollers 34 and lower rollers 36 mounted thereon by means of spindles 38. The anti-separating bearings prevent elevating rack 26 and elevating sector 30 from separating in the direction perpendicular to the elevation rack. A complemental track 40 is located on the underside of the sector 30 so that rollers 34 and 36 are positioned in rolling contact with their respective tracks at all elevational positions of the pod 22.

Elevational screw 42 is fixably positioned to the underside of the pod 22 by means of depending lugs 45 and 46, wherein head 44 of the elevational screw is in fixed engagement with the lug 45 while the opposite reduced end 48 is anchored against rotation in the rear lug 46. Power means for the elevation of the pod is developed from a suitable source such as an electric drive motor, attached to the input shaft 52, having at the upper end thereof a horizontal bevel gear 54, in constant mesh with bevel gear 56 secured to cross shaft 58. Shaft 58 is in turn rotatably journaled in upright member 60 and is provided with a second vertical bevel gear 61 which meshes with bevel gear 62 at the end of elongated sleeve 64, wherein sleeve 64 has internal threads formed therein, and is mounted on elevational screw 42 and supplies axial movement to the screw. The action of sleeve 64 and screw 42 is analogous to the action of a nut and bolt, with the nut being held stationary. Sleeve housing 66, also mounted on upright 60, prevents axial movement of sleeve 64 and obviously moves in relation to the movement of the pod.

In operation, member 64 is driven directly through gears 61, 62 and shaft 52 either in a clockwise, or counterclockwise direction, wherein screw 42 is translated providing the mechanical movement to the pod which is either raised or lowered through the action of the above gearing, rack 26, sector gear 30, and roller followers 34 and 36. As shown, and described, the invention employs a parallelogram arrangement wherein drive screw 42 is parallel to rack 26, and which becomes the driven leg of the parallelogram. As screw 42 translates, the axis 50 of the screw passes through the centerline of sector gear 30, which centerline is coincident with the axis of shaft 58, whereby rack 26 is translated and rotated about the sector gear centerline elfecting pod movement. As is readily apparent, roller followers 36 move along track 40 of the sector gear 30 as screw 42 translates, and follower rollers 34 move along rails 25 thereby providing a guiding, restraining and aligning means for the pod. These members are obviously covered, whensin operation, to afford cover against dirt and shock.

An alternative form of the invention is shown in FIG- URE wherein the basic principle of the parallelogram mechanism is utilized in a simplified form. In this embodiment, base member 70 fixably supports sector plate 72 in a vertical plane, and herringbone sector gear 74 locates rack 76 with respect to the centerline 78; wherein the herringbone gear arrangement prevents tangential and axial movement of the rack with respect to the sector gear '74.

Worm 80, one leg of a parallelogram, is parallel to rack 76 which forms the opposite leg of the parallelogram, and wherein worm gear 80 is the driving member and has its principle axis intersecting centerline 78. Parallel brace members 82 and 84 form the other two legs of the parallelogram while an additional cross support 86 provides rigidity. Members 82 and 84 are anchored respectively to one end of the worm gear 80 and are fixably secured as by welding to the U-shaped cradle 88 which holds a machine gun 90. Anti-separating bearing 92 prevents the elevating rack and sector from separating in the direction perpendicular to the rack by maintaining rolling contact with the underside of sector gear 74. Drive mechanism for moving the worm 80 consists of the gear box 94, which is located on and rotates about the sector centerline 78 by means of trunnion pin 96 journaled in plate 72. Operation of the device is as described above, whereby upon rotation of handle 98, worm 80 is driven, thereby effecting movement of the parallel mechanism and the gun.

As is readily apparent from FIGURE 1, the cupola assembly is a complete unit in itself, and can be readily removed from its mounts for easy maintenance and replacement.

By the use of a parallel mechanism as set forth and described above, the space required for an elevating system will be decreased, the angular sweep of the gun breech is reduced aat the maxim-um elevation, a constant rate of angular displacement is achieved, in the reduced space, and in addition, the device presents a low silhouette.

I claim:

1. A gun elevating mechanism comprising a platform, a sector gear subscribing an arc fixably mounted on said platform, a pod for holding at least one gun, a rack having a length substantially equal to the peripheral length of said sector gear, said rack being fixably mounted on said pod and in engagement with said sector gear, a roller follower means mounted on said sector gear and said rack preventing separation thereof, a driven means fixably mounted on said pod in parallel spaced relation to said rack means, a drive means transmitting a linear force to said driven means whereby said linear force is translated into a tilting force by said roller follower means as said roller follower means maintains said rack coincident with a tangent to the arc of said sector gear.

2. An elevating mechanism for a gun cradle comprising a platform, an arcuate gear means fixably mounted on said platform, a linear gear means on said gun cradle in engagement with said arcuate gear means wherein said linear gear means moves about the periphery of said arcuate gear means always remaining tangent thereto, a linear driven means mounted on said gun cradle in parallel spaced relation to said linear gear means, and a drive means engaging said linear driven means whereby said drive means changes the angle of elevation of said gun cradle by changing the point of tangency of said linear gear means and said arcuate gear means.

3. The mechanism set forth in claim 2, wherein said linear gear means comprises a rack gear held in meshed engagement with said arcuate gear means by a roller follower means.

4. An elevating gun cradle comprising a base, sector gear means subscribing an are mounted on said base, a rack substantially equal to the length of arc of said sector gear means, said rack being mounted on said gun cradle and being held in meshed engagement with said sector gear means whereby said rack moves in the plane of said sector gear means and about the center of arc thereof, a drive screw disposed in a parallel spaced relation to said rack, and drive means engaging said drive screw, whereby said drive screw is axially driven by said drive means, thereby changing the angle of elevation of said gun cradle by movement of said rack about said center of arc of said sector gear means.

5. The mechanism as set forth in claim 4, wherein said sector gear means limits the gun cradle elevation angle from a -15 of depression to +70 of elevation.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 605,376 6/1898 Bevans 89-41 1,556,478 10/1925 Benet 89-37 2,282,742 5/ 1942 Poysa 89-37 2,359,032 9/1944 Gott 89-41 2,594,198 4/1952 Motley 89-36 3,115,062 12/1963 Tassie et al 89-37 FOREIGN PATENTS 213,237 9/ 1909 Germany.

614,431 3/ 1934 Germany.

BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner. S. C. BENTLEY. Assistant Examiner. 

1. A GUN ELEVATING MECHANISM COMPRISING A PLATFORM, A SECTOR GEAR SUBSCRIBING AN ARC FIXABLY MOUNTED ON SAID PLATFORM, A POD FOR HOLDING AT LEAST ONE GUN, A RACK HAVING A LENGTH SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE PERIPHERAL LENGTH OF SAID SECTOR GEAR, SAID RACK BEING FIXABLY MOUNTED ON SAID POD AND IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID SECTOR GEAR, A ROLLER FOLLOWER MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID SECTOR GEAR AND SAID RACK PREVENTING SEPARATION THEREOF, A DRIVEN MEANS FIXABLY MOUNTED ON SAID POD IN PARALLEL SPACED RELATION TO SAID RACK MEANS, A DRIVE MEANS TRANSMITTING A LINEAR FORCE TO SAID DRIVEN MEANS WHEREBY SAID LINEAR FORCE IS TRANSLATED INTO A TILTING FORCE BY SAID ROLLER FOLLOWER MEANS AS SAID ROLLER FOLLOWER MEANS MAINTAINS SAID RACK COINCIDENT WITH A TANGENT TO THE ARC OF SAID SECTOR GEAR. 